Hiring Seasonally? Here are 6 Tips for Success

November 7th, 2017

If you have a Southern New England business that experiences an uptick in demand during the holiday season, you’re probably gearing up for temporary hiring and staffing. It can be a challenging task – and at Stewart Staffing, we’re here to help. Below are 6 common-sense tips you can use to find and hire the people you need during your busy season:

#1: Know your needs.

Before launching a big hiring effort, have a clear understanding of your needs for the temporary positions. Be able to articulate what tasks and responsibilities you need seasonal hires to handle and also your expectations and goals. That way, when you do hire temporary staff, you can better manage and communicate with them.

#2: Look to summer hires.

Did you hire seasonally over the summer? If you did – and there were workers who performed well on the job – reach out to them first and ask if they’re interested in another opportunity. It’s an easy way to fill your openings and also provides you with people who you’re already comfortable with and know their skill and experience level.

#3: Check your job descriptions.

If you hire for the same seasonal jobs year after year, you likely reuse the same postings. But now’s a good time to refresh them. Before advertising, take out those postings and review them. Make sure the details are still accurate and also read it from the perspective of the applicant. In other words, what do you think they’d want to know about the job?

#4: Be fair and competitive.

Just because you’re hiring on a seasonal basis doesn’t mean you should low-ball wages. Instead, aim for fairness and competitiveness with whatever wage you’re paying. Keep in mind, the more generous you are in this area, the better quality people you can expect to hire and retain.

#5: Vet thoroughly.

If you’re in a rush to hire, it’s tempting to skim over parts of the hiring process. But if you don’t thoroughly vet seasonal workers, it could come back to haunt you. Instead, make sure you ask good questions during the interview, including behavioral ones, such as “tell me about a time you solved a problem at work.” Also, don’t forget to check references before extending an offer.

#6: Train them.

Don’t simply hire seasonal workers and expect them to hit the ground running. Even if they’re experienced, it’s still important to train them and make sure they’re clear on your expectations for them. Also, before bringing them on board, talk to your staff about the importance of collaboration and welcoming the new hires to the team.